Conventionally, in a step of manufacturing an absorbent article such as a disposable diaper, in order to improve the fitting in the leg hole region and the crotch region of the wearer, a method for arranging elastic members at the position corresponding to the leg hole region and the crotch region is used widely.
Specifically, according to the manufacturing step, continuous elastic members are arranged in a waveform on a continuous web configuring component of the absorbent article. That is, by arranging elastic members in a waveform on the web on which a longitudinal direction of an absorbent article is arranged along a cross direction that crosses a conveyance direction of the web, an absorbent article having gathers corresponding to the shape of the leg hole region and the crotch region can be manufactured continuously.
Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2 disclose a method for arranging elastic members in a waveform on a web that is conveyed. Specifically, by using a base portion of an arm member that is directly coupled to a rotational axis of a motor as the rotational axis, the arm member is swung in the cross direction of the web, while elastic members are fed from a tip portion of the arm member, and the elastic members are arranged in a waveform on the web. Next, by sandwiching the elastic members and the web by press rolls provided above and below the web, the elastic members supplied on the web are brought in contact and arranged on the web.